Waking
by Darknesse Sidhe
Summary: The new beginning for the being called Alice.


**I don't own Pandora Hearts.**

… **There. I said it. It's an awful revelation, I know.**

Waking:

The darkness that surrounded her was heavy and oppressive, especially against her lids, which, for a long time, she couldn't appear to open. And when she did, she didn't see anything other than what she expected to see.

She was lying down on a dark, smooth, flat surface, and when she moved, even a little, ripples spread across it like it was water, but it couldn't be described as wet. Her surroundings were void and completely dark, just like she'd sensed when her eyes were closed, although she could still see impressively well. Or maybe that was just her ….

She sat up and looked down. She appeared to be wearing boots and a checkered red jacket over a white shirt and a short black skirt. It was strange … she didn't _remember_ changing into anything. In fact, she realized with horror, she didn't remember _anything_ at all.

Except for her name, which came to her in the next second like a beacon of light in the darkness for her to grasp on.

_Alice_.

My name, she thought wonderingly. My name … is Alice?

She shuddered in recognition, curling up into a ball with her arms wrapped around her folded knees.

_Where are my memories_?

_Where am I_?

_What am I doing here_?

"Hello, sister," said a falsely sweet voice.

Alice looked up, to see a white rabbit doll floating in front of here where previously there had been nothing. The doll was wearing a white dress that completely covered any lower part of its body, and its small round eyes were staring at her with a look that was almost … fascination within a blankly serene face.

Without her memories, she had no experience. She might as well have been newly born. She had not known yet if she could feel fear … and somehow, this simple doll made her feel cold and tight inside, and want to put as much distance between them as possible.

Still, Alice clenched her fists and glared in defiance, refusing to be cowed by a _doll_.

"Who are you?" she demanded.

What happened next was strange; one moment she was staring at a creepy white toy rabbit, and the next, she was staring at a girl dressed in white of about her age – what was her age, anyways? – with long pale hair that was startlingly bright in the endless plain of dark, and violet eyes. Alice could see herself reflected in those eyes, and stared into them with fascination, seeing a face, though contorted by the roundness of the white-haired girl's eyes was strikingly similar to the white-haired girl's.

The white-haired girl stared back in part horror, part surprise, and part enthralment.

"So," she said with a smirk Alice immediately disliked. "You really don't remember me. Funny, I thought you were playing a trick when you asked me who I was." She crossed her arms and grinned maliciously at her. "Well I suppose I ought to introduce myself … My name is Alice, just like yours. I'm supposed to be your twin sister … so I suppose I ought to care for you … but I would rather have you call me the Intention, or Will, of the Abyss. My name is something I only reserve for my friends."

"Hmph." To be honest, she was relieved to call her something other than Alice. Alice was her name … supposed sister or not, she would hate to share her name with someone she so automatically disliked. "What do you want?"

The Intention's eyes narrowed. "I suppose there is … much that I might want, but … none of it would matter … to you. After I leave, take care of yourself, okay?" The expression on her face softened, becoming almost sad for a brief moment. "Until _he_ finds you and takes care of you, like he promised … and then neither of us will be lonely anymore!"

A second later, she was gone, leaving not a trace of her behind.

Loneliness. Alice shivered and curled up again, feeling something hard, tight, and cold form in the pit of her stomach. She knew that feeling. The cold, empty, remote, sad feeling of loneliness. She knew that feeling, and didn't want to feel it again.

But – she looked around and felt it form. She was already feeling it again. With the Will of the Abyss gone, she was left alone in the vast, endless plain of darkness, without company.

Alice shook her head, trying to ignore the feeling, and instead focused on her larger issue: _Who am I? _she wondered. _I am Alice … but I don't understand … who I am? Where do I come from? Why don't I have any memories?_

Slowly, she got to her feet, looking around for some sort of landmark or something. There was nothing. Nothing but herself, the only characteristic in this dark, smooth plain like water, with its inky sky and reflective surfaces … the Abyss.

"Yes," she whispered, stepping forward and raising her arms as if to embrace it all. "This is an Abyss … a void …" Then she paused, letting her arms drop. What had that white-haired girl said? _You call me the Intention, or Will, of the Abyss_ ….

"No … not an Abyss," she said with a sudden, slightly mad grin. "_The_ Abyss." Chuckling to herself, she folded her arms across her stomach and bowed her head. "And here I am … alone … I'm Alice … and for now, this is my home. My dark, disgusting, annoying home."

Suddenly she froze, even her breathing becoming dead silent as she listened, for another sound.

And there is was again. A slight hissing sound, a crack, a half-incoherent mumble.

She raised her head, dropping her arms again, and stared forward, watching with an expression of alert alarm as the ground seemed to shudder and split open, huge hands clinging onto the sides and pulling itself forward as the ground fixed itself.

The thing was huge, at least ten times as tall as Alice. It had long legs like a frogs and a contorted, round face that looked as if it was stitched together – in fact, everything but its huge black eyes looked as if it was stitched together, from the long grey-and-black coat to the huge hands with the long, grasping fingers, to the bit black shoes at the end of slender legs.

It crouched and turned to a surprised Alice, hissing.

"You … you … you … You are … the B-Rabbit?"

B-Rabbit? Alice's eyes narrowed as she took a step back, thinking. She didn't understand what it meant, but it was a title, and maybe if she took on it, it would help her with her self-identification. But was the title true, or was this _thing_ speaking of something else?

"You … you … You are … The B-Rabbit … rabbit … rabbit … the bloody black rabbit … Alice … Alice?"

Her eyes lit up and she leaned forward on her toes in eagerness. "My name is Alice! But what are you, such a long and crude and ugly piece of work?"

It hissed angrily through a mouth that was half-stitched together with thread. "I … I … am … a chain … like you … you … you … you bloody rabbit … you little girl … girl … girl."

It kept on repeating itself, like its own personal echo, as if trying to reassure itself of not only its existence, but its ability to speak.

"Alice … Alice … Alice … calls me a card … card … card."

"Such an eyesore like you doesn't deserve to be on the face of a deck anyways," declared Alice promptly, holding nothing but sudden contempt for this hideous creature. Although it was large, it didn't seem particularly smart or strong, and thus wasn't very impressive. "But … did I call you a card in the past?"

"Not you … you … you … the other Alice … the Intention … the Will … will … will … _that_ Alice calls me a card … you are not her … her … her … you are another Alice … Alice … you are the Blood Rabbit … a chain … just like me … but not a card, oh no … you are … are … are … powerful says the Will … and she says … says … that if I kill you … and eat you … maybe I … I … I … will become strong … strong … and then I won't be a card … card … card … anymore."

It suddenly swung at her with one huge hand. Startled, Alice jumped five steps back just in time.

It was trying to _kill_ her?

"No!" yelled Alice suddenly and desperately as it swung at her again, more forcefully this time. She dodged it by a hand's breath. "Please don't … please don't kill me. You're the only one here, other than me, and I don't want to be lonely anymore."

It snarled, crouching some more and glaring at her with huge, round black eyes. "Alone … lone … lone? We're always alone … lone … lone … except for when Alice … Alice … Alice … of the Abyss comes … comes … comes … and visits us … us … us … or when other chains … chains … chains … come to kill each other … other." She didn't understand yet what a chain was, but she loathed the idea of being like this being.

"Isn't there a place where there are people?" shouted Alice, suddenly angry. "You stupid card!"

It snarled and brought its head down. A moment latter, a giant forced crashed into her with such force that the breath was completely knocked out of her and she went flying, briefly coughing up blood as she soared backwards through the air, before regaining control at the last second and flipping, landing down and skidding back against the long, hard ground with perfect precision. But a second later, she almost slumped onto the ground. The pain in her chest, where she'd been hit, was immense, and she was gasping for air.

"You're … weak … weak … weak," said the card in surprise, drawing closer. "You're so … weak … though she said … said … said … you'd be strong … strong."

Still seemed to slow as she slowly straightened, clutching at her arm and swaying slightly.

"I am … weak?" Alice asked quietly.

"Yessss," it hissed, looming forward. "So small … and weak."

Her head snapped up, and it was like her eyes were glittering despite her dark surroundings.

"I … am … Alice … the B-Rabbit. I … am … not … _WEAK_! YOU UGLY, HIDEOUS EXCUSE FOR A CHAIN!"

A long, cold handle formed in her hands and suddenly the card was the same size as her. The scythe she had was heavy, but she swung it forward violently with such ease, it might as well have weighed as much as a feather.

It completely sliced through the chain; the body froze mid-movement and the top severed half fell backwards; and a moment later both halves fell through the inky ground, creating wave-like ripples were they fell before disappearing completely on the other end of the onyx plain, but not before the card cried out, "No … no … no! Not yet … yet … I have to eat her! I have to get power and find a human … human … human … and leave to the other place … place … place – "

She stared at her reflection on the plain, watching as she transformed back from a huge, fanged demon rabbit to a girl again.

"The other place?" Alice wondered aloud. Then, after a moment, she smiled.

"Yes," she whispered as her gloved fingers hit the inside of her palm, digging into them as the giant scythe disappeared. "There is another place … there are many people there. If I go there … I won't ever have to be lonely again. And," she said with sudden certainty, "my memories are there somewhere."

She looked across the darkness and smiled as sudden images of dancing golden lights, broken pieces of furniture, and shelves of stuffed toys floated across her mind, against the dark haze of the Abyss. There was more to _this_ world than darkness. Maybe she wouldn't be alone all the time.

Alice wiped the blood from mouth and started forward. Until she could find a way out of here, there was some time, and maybe some other chains, to kill.

**Fin.**

**Review.**


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